A War of Two Hearts
by taiorawrtr09
Summary: Medieval Taiora! He was a vicious captain who remains loyal and devoted to his master. His task was to find her and kill her, but can he stop himself from falling in love with her.
1. The Mission

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon at all!!

**A War of Two Hearts**

Chapter One: The Mission

There was once a young world full of peace and harmony. It was a world full of hope and love where people lived with freedom and justice. Until one fateful day, a former General of a once great army decided to conquer what he believed to be his, the entire world. General Kyo gathered his great army and began to overthrow many rulers of distant lands, eliminating all who opposed him. Many people began to fear him and his power, which brought them to the point where they had no choice but to join his growing empire.

Numerous kingdoms were now under the control of General Kyo, but his greed for power only brought more desire. He wanted to make sure that every kingdom and all the lands were under his reign, yet there remained one kingdom still fighting against his power. It was the once mighty Kingdom of Ardin, home to the Ardin family. This was a challenge that excited the General. He wanted to see the Kingdom of Ardin fall at his feet; desperately to see the Ardin family suffer.

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"Um, Master Kyo, the captain is here to see you." A young soldier said as he looked toward the door.

Standing in the doorway, was a young man with a mass of brown fluff and eyes dark as a chocolate sea. He wore a dark blue cloak along with a large golden badge at the corner of his chest and carried a long sword just above his waist. Of course he was a professional trained soldier, loyal in every way to the General.

"Master Kyo, what is it you request of me sir?" The young man said as he entered the room, while the other soldier left to his duties.

"Ah, Captain Kamiya. Seeing that you and your army have had excellent progress of destroying the capital of Kinstle, I have a mission for you." The general said with a devilish grin.

"Of course sir. What is this mission exactly?" The captain said with a look of wonder.

"I would like your army to march into the Ardin Kingdom and kill off all who live there. It is a difficult task considering they have many confident and fearless soldiers that don't fall to easily, but I think your army can handle it. Your men may take any loot they wish to keep, but they may take no prisoners. That is their task, however you have another. I want you to find the Ardin family and kill'em all. Leave no one alive. Do you understand Captain?"

"Yes sir, I shall leave not one alive. We'll attack at dawn tomorrow."

"It's done then. You may gather your best troops and do not fail me." The general said with a stern look.

"Yes sir." The captain nodded and walked out of the room, ready to gather his best men for the battle of their lives.

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"Sora, you silly girl. You know that people will think of you differently." A young man said as he swung his sword back and forth at a red-headed girl, slightly younger than him. Both were practicing a little sword fighting in the yard of the castle.

"What do you mean by that Rich?" The girl swung her sword back at him.

"I mean, you're the only girl I know who would want to learn how to sword fight. You're different than other girls. It's hard to bring you down and not to mention your stubborness." Rich said with a big smile on his face.

"Well, I don't want to be like other girls. They're so boring. All they do is stay in their home and wait until they get married. Men actually think they can rule us females, saying that we can't fight and defend ourselves. I mean there's a war going on right now Rich! What if our soldiers can't hold them off any longer!" Sora shouted at her brother as she swung the sword again.

"Woa there, what are you saying Sora? Of course our army can still hold off General Kyo's men. We have the best soldiers around. I have seen beaten many of those weak men. They don't have spirit like we do."

"You don't understand Rich. His army is multiplying every day and they're getting stronger too. Aren't you worried about that at all. What would happen if we had to surrender to him." Sora said with a look of worry and held her sword down.

"Don't worry. We're not going to let them defeat us. We'll keep fighting. Don't be scared Sora. You have your big brother to take care of you." Rich smiled and walked towards Sora to give her a hug.

"I guess I have you to protect me right?" Sora said as she returned the hug.

"Right. Now let's go inside the castle and eat dinner. It's getting dark out." Rich said as they both walked towards the entrance of their home.

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The entire Ardin family were eating their dinner and enjoying their moment together as they have always been. It was a comfortable and large dining room with a middle-sized dinner table in the center of the room. Mr. Ardin, also known as the king, was laughing as he recalled a funny incident he had seen earlier today. Mrs. Ardin was also joining her husband with a few laughs of her own. Sora looked to her brother Rich and smiled. They had never thought how goofy their parents can be.

Sora then looked to her parents. There was the same question that she had desperately wanted to ask them for a long time, but never really had the courage to ask it. This time was different, she was going to ask it.

"Um, mom? Dad?" Sora asked a little nervous.

"Yes dear. What's wrong?" Her mother asked.

"I know I was adopted into this wonderful family, but I never got to know what my other family was like." Sora had finally asked.

"Oh...well um, Sora the sad truth is...we found you without a family. You see, we're not sure what happened them." She looked at her husband. "The moment your father and I heard a distant crying we had to look for ourselves. All we know is that we couldn't leave you out in the fields, so we decided to take you in. Why do you ask this sort of question dear?" Her mother asked.

"Nothing, I just wanted to know." Sora felt kind of upset knowing that her life felt incomplete. Rich looked at Sora's sad expression.

"Listen Sora, it's okay. You've got people here who really care for you. We'll always love you and I promise to look after you. You'll always be my annoying little sister." Rich smiled.

"I'm not that little you know!" Sora laughed while smacking him on the arm.

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Nightfall came and silence filled the kingdom of General Kyo. Hundreds of men packed their belongings and supplied plenty of food and water as they prepared for the battle at the Ardin Kingdom. They gathered all their horses and silently waited for their captain to arrive and lead them into battle.

"Shh, here comes Captain Kamiya." One of the soldiers said.

The captain slowly walked over to his men and halted directly in front of them. He drew his sword and held it in the air. The rest of the soldiers imitated his actions and drew their swords in the air, waiting for a speech from their captain.

"Tomorrow morning, we strike the Kingdom of Ardin! Let them fall down on their knees and beg for mercy!" The captain slowly paced back and forth. "We shall eliminate all and leave none alive! Take down their walls and their army! They become weaker while we become stronger! Don't forget, leave the Ardin family to me! They will fall down to my strength. We shall show no mercy and destroy their hopes, while they cry in agony!!" Captain Kamiya shouted with all his might.

"Yea!! That's what we'll do. Kill'em all." A soldier cried out.

"Leave none alive!!" Another soldier yelled out.

The vicious troops began to ride out into the night and headed towards the Ardin Kingdom. They await in the dark forest until dawn to attack the kingdom. The Ardin Kingdom, however knew nothing of this surprise attack.

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A/N: Well, that's the first chapter. Sorry if it's a little boring...it's my first story. Tell me what you think.


	2. Bad Things Happen

**A War of Two Hearts**

Chapter Two: Bad Things Happen

Dawn approaches in the peaceful Kingdom of Ardin. Light is shown across from the eastern horizon as people began waking up to tend to their daily duties. But little did they know that this very morning would be their doom, for there was a great threat lurking deep within the forest. The hidden troops slowly arose from their long night's sleep and began to arm themselves for the battle.

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As the early morning light had finally reached a certain room within the castle, a small soft yawn was heard from a still-sleeping Sora. The light was extremely bright and sleep no longer wished to stay.

Sora slowly opened her eyes and smiled. '_Looks like today is going to be a beautiful day. Well, I can't just stay in bed and waste precious time. Gotta go and eat breakfast before Rich eats all the food._' She thought as she sat up on her bed and slowly walked over to her door.

As she descended down the flight of stairs, Sora began to get that strange feeling inside. '_I feel as if something terrible is going to happen today. Of course, I've always had this same feeling everyday so what makes today any different?_' She thought, but then smiled to herself knowing that today was just an ordinary day and she was going to spend it by annoying her brother. She walked down the halls and entered the dining room where she saw her brother, eating like a pig as usual.

"Hey, Sora. I didn't think you would get out of bed this early in the morning." He smirked as he stuffed his mouth with another spoonful of oatmeal and then opened his mouth to show the chewed up contents of his food.

Sora looked in disgust at her childish brother. "Don't start it Rich." She sat down at the table and too poured herself some oatmeal.

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"Captain Kamiya, everyone is in position and ready for orders, sir." One of the soldiers said.

"Good. Let's march into battle then." The captain turned around to one of his soldiers. "I want to see all those weaklings squirm." He said with an evil smirk and a tone of excitement in his voice. He then mounted his horse and trotted over to his waiting army. "Tonight men, we will dine in their blood!"

Everyone held their swords high and began to march forward into the unsuspecting kingdom where they will launch their suprise attacks. One of the soldiers caught up to the captain's side and grinned at him.

"Hey, Tai. Don't forget, I always got your back. These guys may think they're tough, but they know they can't defeat us." A blond-haired man with a pair of blue eyes said. It was true, he has always been there to protect Tai and was actually his best soldier and friend. Tai knew he could always count on him.

"Thanks, Matt. Now how about we crush these guys" Tai said.

The sky was filled with a thunderous roar, which brought in several dark clouds. The stormy air held strong gusts of winds so cold and rain began to shower down lightly. Puddles on the ground grew with each drop and mud was formed everywhere. Not caring of this serious weather change, the soldiers marched on and sneaked into the walls guarding the kingdom.

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"Sora, stop it already! Let go!! You're breaking my arm!" Sora released her hold on Rich's arm as soon as he said this.

"Oops, sorry. I didn't know you were that wead and I thought _I was a girl._" Sora gave a little giggle.

"That's not it! I had to go easy on you because you might get hurt!" Rich yelled in annoyance.

"Yea, sure." Sora said as a smile crept to her face. " You know, I still think-" She was then interrupted by the rumbling sound of thunder coming from outside.

Rich got up from the floor and stepped over towards the window. He glanced outside and watched as heavy rain came streaming down.

"Look at this, Sora. It's pouring outside. It looked pretty sunny earlier and now it looks like there's going to be a monsoon or something." Rich said with a look of disbelief.

Sora came up from behind him and stared outside, watching the rain pour down. "Oh, well. Since it's raining right now, we should try practicing our fights in this sort of weather. You know, to enhance our abilities and become better fighters." She said pleadingly.

Rich just rolled his eyes at his not so lady-like sister. Then as he was about to answer her, the distant sound of a horn filled the air, it was the sound of alarm and it meant danger. Rich looked to Sora who had a confusing look on her face.

"Something's not right, Sora. I want you to stay here in the castle while I find out what the commotion is about, okay." Rich said as he placed his hands at her shoulders and gave her a pleading look.

"Okay." Was all she could say before she watched her brother hurriedly run out of the entrance hall and out to the courtyard.

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"Attack!! There's an attack in the kingdom! Run!!" A soldier started blowing a horn then warned everyone to defend themselves.

Tai and his troops began viciously attacking and slaughtering anyone in their path. Heads were cut off and pools of blood were seen everywhere. Houses and markets were raided of their valuables. Buildings were lit on fire and many dead bodies were layed in the streets. Tai caught sight of Matt and headed towards his direction.

"Matt, I want you to give command to the army while I take care of some business in the castle." Tai told Matt as he looked up at the castle that was a little further away.

"Yes, Captain!" Matt replied while stabbing his blade into one of the enemy soldiers. The soldier then cried out in pain as he saw his own blood dripping down his body.

Tai climbed on his horse and headed in the direction of the castle. '_My mission is to kill every last one of them.' _He thought knowing this was going to be an easy task.

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Sora waited for her brother to return and tell her that it was just a false alarm, and that everything was going to be okay. But then she heard the sound of the horn once again and this time with it, she heard sounds of distant screamings. Sora can tell by the shrill screamings that there was an attack going on.

She quietly began sobbing, for her worst fears had come true. Sora could'nt believe that enemy troops were able to pass through their strong wall of defense. She felt so weak and hopeless that she wanted to lock herself up in her room and hide. No, she wasn't going to cower from her enemies. She was taught to fight and that's what she was going to do. '_How dare they march into our kingdom and take our hopes. I'm not going to just stay here and let them do this. I'm going to fight.' _She thought as she felt courage run through her veins.

Sora rushed down the entrance hall and quickly opened the castle doors that led to the courtyard. As soon as she swung the door open, her brother darted in, followed by the slamming of the doors. Sora could see that he was out of breath and gasped when she saw that his shirt was stained with blood.

"What happened? Where's father and mother? Why are you covered in blood?" Sora asked wide-eyed with fear.

"No time to explain. We're being under attack." He said, while still trying to catch his breath. He grabbed her hand and led her to the back of the castle where they could escape. "Father and his army are trying to hold back the enemy troops, but it looks like we're outnumbered. He also told me to protect you and to never look back. We have to get out of here Sora. They're going to kill us." Rich said with a worried voice.

The two of them managed to reach the back of the castle and entered through the doors that led to the outside. So far they didn't run into any trouble. Once they were outside, Rich stopped for a moment and turned to face Sora. He took out one of his blades and handed it to her. She looked up at him in question.

"You're going to need this." He pointed to the forest that was just up ahead. "We'll escape through there and go into hiding. We'll be able get far and they won't be able to track us down." He said in a calm voice and Sora just nodded.

"I don't think that's going to happen." A deep voice was heard from the entrance to the castle. Rich and Sora looked to see a man in a dark blue cloak holding a blood-stained sword. "I doubt that's ever going to happen. You can't run away." Tai said with a look of malice on his face.

Rich took hold of his sister and pulled her behind him. He then unsheathed his sword and pointed it to the intruder. "Get out of her Sora." He whispered to her. Sora just looked at him in disbelief.

"I'm not leaving you Rich. I'm going to help you fight." Sora said confidently.

"No, Sora. I'm not going to risk putting you in danger." Rich told her in a serious tone.

Tai just stared at the girl in front of her. She didn't seem to show any fear. Somehow, she was an interesting sight to him. '_She's probably good in bed'_ He thought with an evil smile and eyes full with lust.

"Nice little pet you got there." Tai said as he started walking towards them. Rich glared at Tai when he found out that it was his sister he was talking about. "You see, prince, once I kill you I can have a little fun with her." Tai said in a low and dangerous tone.

Rich's eyes flashed with anger at the young man before him. "We'll see about that you bastard!!" He then swung his sword at Tai but missed. Tai then swung his sword and Rich quickly dodged it. "Sora, you have to run and get out of here!" Rich screamed.

Sora just stood there and watched as Rich fought against this blood-thirsty animal. "I won't leave you Richie!"

"Sora, it's an order!! Please just go!" Rich faced her once more and then averted his gaze back to Tai who didn't look too tired at all.

Sora nodded at her brother's request and began to run towards the forest. Once she reached the trees, she took one last glance at her brother and then ran deep into the forest.

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A/N: That's chapter 2...now I gotta go study for a whole bunch of exams this week. Please Review...


	3. A Failed Mission

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Here's the next chapter.

**A War of Two Hearts**

Chapter Three: A Failed Mission

It has been only a few dark moments since the riot at the kingdom started. Many of the buildings were now collapsing, while some were already demolished to the ground. Rain poured on the remains and left the kingdom in ruins. It was too late to save the kingdom, for their defenses and army had now fallen. The General's troops had triumphed over the last of the free kingdoms and now the civilians were left defenseless. When all was hopeless, the surviving civilians knew they no longer had a choice to live. They were either beheaded or skinned alive. Many suffered and were just tortured to their death. Matt and the other troops began to praise to their victory, yet they still wondered if their captain finished the task with no difficulty.

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Drops of heavy rain continuously poured down the now fallen kingdom. The skies grew even darker, filled with multiple flashes of blue lightning accompanied with the drumming of thunder. Heavily poured water soaked the ground and created pools of mud. The two young men remained locked in combat, a combat until death. Both were at each other in this fierce battle of blades, their eyes monitoring every move of the other. As the two fought, masses of mud on the ground began to build up around them causing some difficulty moving.

Rich, who was now soaked from the rain, became exhausted from this intense duel. He was astonished with his lack of judgement for this man, unaware that his brown-haired opponent had indeed mastered extroadinary fighting skills. The man was barely even wounded. Rich on the other hand, suffered from a few deep cuts on his leg and shoulder.

"You're a poor excuse for a soldier you know that!" Tai said, holding his sword up and trying to project his voice through the thundering noise. "I thought this would be sort of a challenge for me but it looks like this is all too simple!"

Rich glared at Tai angrily, "You're the poor excuse for a soldier! What you do is destroy cities and kill innocent people!!"

Tai just chuckled at that, "You should've thought twice about resisting the power of Lord Kyo! You should've known that you can never hide from him! He is the most powerful Lord in this world and I'll make sure he stays at that!"

Rich moved forward to strike at Tai but found that his foot got stuck in a deep puddle of mud and lost his balance. Tai took this moment and stabbed his sword into Rich's stomach. Rich dropped his sword and instantly felt the stinging pain. Tai then pulled his blade out as his foe fell to the ground on his knees. Rich clutched his stomach and felt the sharp pains worsen. He closed his eyes as his breathing became shallow and suddenly everything went black. His body fell to the ground and there pools of blood formed around him while Tai began to clean his sword on the grass.

Once Tai was done, he stared at the dead body in the mud. "You knew what was coming. Now that I'm done with you, all I got to do is find that sister of yours and my task is complete." Tai smiled to himself and ran towards the woods.

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The heavy rain turned into a light shower as the flashes of lightning and thunder finally subsided. The forest was dark and silent with trees tall as buildings. All that was heard were the footsteps of a young red-headed girl. Sora cried silently as she ran deeper into the darkened woods. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her and didn't dare to look back. Looking back at the horror would only cause her more pain. She ran with a sword in hand and stopped for a moment to catch her breath.

She looked around her as wet tears began to form once more in her tired eyes. Sora just couldn't believe what had happened. She didn't want it to happen. These new events frightened her. She knew something like this was going to happen, but she didn't think it would be this horrible.She thought about her brother Rich and what he did for her. 'Oh, _Rich. I hope he's okay. I know he was trying to protect me, but I could've been there to protect him as well._' Sora shook her head. '_No. He would'nt want me to do that. He wants me to live and that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to find a way to make everything right again and return peace to this world._' She thought.

Sora wiped her tears and looked around her once again. She had to admit it, she was lost. She had never been out of her kingdom before. Where was she supposed to go?

"I suppose there is a village ahead of this forest, but I don't even know which way." She said aloud to herself. '_Oh, what am I going to do?_'

"Looks like someone is lost." A deep voice said from behind her.

Sora quickly turned around and noticed her follower. She felt her heart beating rapidly in her chest once she caught sight of the brown-haired man. Sora clutched the blade in her hand tighter and held her sword up toward him.

"What'd you do to my brother!" She cried out to the man in front of her. Tai stared at her for a second before he took a step toward her, his sword still in his sheath.

Sora noticed the man getting closer and she became terrified. "I'm warning you, I know how to handle a sword." She said in a shaky voice.

As soon as he was four feet within reach, Sora swung her sword at him. Tai quickly reacted and unsheathed his sword to block her swing. The two blades met and Tai finally had the chance to view her face from up close. She looked so ravishing and almost had the face of an angel. Tai couldn't help it but just stare at her. He wanted to have her. '_No. I have to complete this mission or my master will have my head._' Tai thought.

"You know, you look so beautiful my lady but I'm afraid that's not going to save you. It's such a shame that a woman like you has to go to waste." Tai said as he used his sword to knock out the blade from her hand. Sora watched as her sword flew a good distance away from her and landed on the soil.

Sora glared at the man in front of her. "I'm not afraid of you." She said with a look of boldness.

Tai grinned evilly at her before he shoved her to the ground. Sora fell hard on her back and felt the body of her attacker lie on top of her. He crawled on her and placed his blade at her neck. "So princess, are you afraid of me now?" Tai huskilly spoke. Sora didn't say anything. She was too scared. She looked straight into those brown orbs of his and felt tears form in her eyes. Sora tried closing them to prevent her tears from coming out. However, they still managed to escape. Sora began to quietly sob and wishing her enemy would just kill her already. Living didn't matter to her anymore, she already lost everything.

The young man stared at the girl beneath him and watched as more tears streamed down her face. Tai knew that she was terrified of him. He felt a stinging pain in his chest, in his heart from the girl. The moment she started crying, he felt the need to comfort her. Something in the back of his mind was telling him to let her go. Tai struggled with himself whether he should kill her or not. He looked at her angelic face. She looked so beautiful and innocent. '_Maybe she doesn't deserve this. She just lost her family because of me. I don't like seeing her cry like this. Wait. What's wrong with me? Why do I feel sorry for her? C'mon Tai, just kill her now!_'

Tai grasped the sword in his hand even tighter. He looked to her once again and glanced down to her soft pink lips. Tai then loosened his grip on the sword and felt himself lowering his head to place a small, light kiss on those lips before slowly getting off her. He stood up before her and placed his sword back in his sheath. After Sora felt that gentle kiss, she opened her eyes and looked up at the man in question.

"I'm only letting you go this one time. The next time I find you, don't expect any mercy from me." Tai said averting his gaze elsewhere, but her.

Sora got up and slowly walked over to where her blade was lying. She picked up her sword and looked back at the man. "Why are you letting me go?" She asked him.

"Just go before I change my mind!" He screamed at her. Sora, frightened by his reaction, ran further into the forest to get away from him. Tai watched her run deeper until she vanished from his sight. He decided it was time to head back to his troops. As he walked out of the forest, many things bothered him. In his mind, he couldn't help but think _why didn't he kill her?_

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A/N: There's chapter three. Thanks for the reviews you guys. It really helps. Can't wait till Ch. 4!


	4. Our Paths Cross Again

**A War of Two Hearts**

Chapter Four: Our Paths Cross Again

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'_How long has it been since I last saw her.' _Tai thought as he walked across the courtyard. '_I wish I could see her again. Grrrr...why do I keep thinking of her? There's just something about her that makes me feel ... different.'_

Tai was so deep in thought that he hadn't noticed a certain blond-haired man standing beside him. "Hey, Tai. Why are you up so early?" Matt asked. He looked down to see some of Tai's belongings crammed in a small sack. "And just where are you going?"

There was silence. Tai didn't say anything. He didn't hear what Matt asked. All he could think of was that girl and how beautiful she looked, even when she cried. It was hard to get his mind off her, even in his dreams she was there.

"Tai, what is wrong with you?" Matt asked with a little worry.

Tai cleared his thoughts and looked at his long-time friend. "What?"

"You haven't been acting the same ever since we raided that Ardin Kingdom. Did something happen?" Matt asked curiously.

Tai closed his eyes and tried to recall everything that had happened that day. He remembered every little detail of her face, her hair, her eyes... her tears. Tai opened his eyes and sighed. "Matt, I'm a failure." He simply said.

"A failure? What do you mean? Wait. You told me you that you had killed that family, every one of them." Matt said knitting his eyebrows together.

"I wasn't the right man for that kind of task. Lord Kyo should have sent another man to do it, a stronger man." Tai gritted his teeth and balled his fists together. "Someone who would've actually done their duty."

"Tai, what are you talking about!? You were the right man for that task!! You've been acting strange lately! What's gotten into you!?!" Matt yelled.

There was a pause between the two. After a few moments of silence, Tai spoke.

"I couldn't kill her." He said bowing his head in shame.

Matt calmed down after he said that. "Kill who?"

"The princess. King Ardin's daughter." Tai then looked up at Matt. "I...I let her go."

Matt began to put everything together. The reason for Tai's mysterious behavior was all because he let some girl live. But Matt seemed to question Tai's motives. "Why?"

"She was...I mean I was about to kill her, but when she started crying...something just stopped me." Tai sighed. "I didn't want to hurt her."

"You didn't want to hurt her? Tai, you've killed thousands of women and all of a sudden you let this girl live just because she is crying? Why her? What's so different about this one?" Matt asked.

"I don't know." Tai said. "I just wish I had never laid eyes on her."

There was another pause.

"So, she's alive?" Matt asked. Tai nodded. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to search for her. Once I find her, I'm going to kill her before Lord Kyo finds out the truth." Tai said picking up the small sack. "This time I'm not going to fail."

"You're actually going to look for her? Don't you think she'd be far by now? Where are you going to start?" Matt asked.

Tai shrugged. "I don't know, but if I don't kill her already she's going to haunt me forever." He started walking over to where the horses were gathered. Matt followed.

"How long do you think you'll be gone?" Matt asked him. "What if Lord Kyo asks for you?"

"Just make up something then." Tai mounted his horse and looked back at Matt." I won't return until I find her. I don't care how long it takes. I don't want to end up like a failure again." Matt nodded and watched as Tai's horse rode off into distance.

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It was evening. A small stack of smoke appeared out of the chimney of a small cottage at the edge of the woods. Surrounding the cottage was a clear blue lake and a road that led straight into a nearby town.

"Sora dear, can you help me with this?" An old woman said while trying to cook dinner. "It's hard to cook dinner all by yourself when you reach my age."

"Of course, Elsa." Sora said in a delightful tone. She hadn't felt happy like this since before the tragedy at her kingdom. It's only been a few days, but she managed to put it all behind her.

"You're going to love dinner tonight. This is a very well-cooked meal." Elsa said with a smile.

Sora just laughed but then frowned when she remembered the image of her brother, as well as the image of that brown-haired man. '_I still can't figure out why he let me go.'_ Sora thought. _'Oh well. I just hope things will stay quiet for a while._' She looked around the room. "Um, Elsa?"

"Yes, dear."

"Where is Lionel? I haven't seen him since this afternoon."

"Oh, that crazy husband of mine? I think he went into town to pick up a few things." Elsa said while stirring her chicken soup." Mmm, this smells good."

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The evening was growing darker and the sun was about to disappear into the horizon. After many hours of traveling, Tai finally arrived at a small town.

'_It's getting dark. Maybe I should rest here for the night._' Tai thought looking around. He noticed a few of Lord Kyo's soldiers in town. '_Hmm, I think I should disguise myself first. I don't want any of the soldiers to ask me a whole lot of questions as to what's my purpose here._'

Tai looked around him and found an old beggar on the streets. He smiled to himself before he approached the old man. "Hey, I'll pay you six pieces of gold in exchange for some of your clothing." Tai said holding a couple of gold coins in his hand.

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"Whoo, I'm tired. I didn't expect to be out this long. The sun's almost gone. At least I got what I was looking for." An old man said carrying a basket full of some fruits. "I just hope those two haven't started eating dinner without me."

The old man walked towards the road that led to his cottage. On his way there, he came across a cloaked man who seemed to look almost like a beggar. The man's face was hidden within the hood of his cloak as he approached the old man.

"Um, excuse me sir?" The cloaked man said.

"Ah, yes. Is there something that you need?" The old man responded.

"Yes. Do you have shelter in which I can spend the night?" The cloaked man asked. "It seems to be a little cold tonight."

The old man smiled. "Of course. You can spend the night at my place. It's a small cottage by the woods. We're having dinner and you are certainly invited."

"Thank you very much sir. You are too generous."

"Don't worry about it. It brings me great joy to help people who are in need." The old man said. Both of them took the road leading to the cottage. "So, maybe I should introduce myself. My name is Lionel. I'm a farmer around here. Although I haven't been able to grow much crops lately, probably because of all the riots the soldiers been causing." Lionel sighed. "So, tell me about yourself."

"Well, you can just call me Tai. I'm a traveler and I just came upon this town only a few moments ago. I just need to spend the night and then I'm off to take care of a few things. I would like to thank you for your hospitality though." Tai grinned devilishly. '_What fools these commoners are!_'

"No need to thank me, really. So Tai, would you like me to get you some new clothes when we get there? You probably won't be too comfortable in those."

Tai shook his head, his face still hidden in his cloak. "No. I'm fine in these. If you don't mind, I prefer to be alone when we arrive there. I wouldn't want to interrupt you dinner with your family. I don't associate much."

The old man nodded. " I understand." The two approached a small cottage near the forest. "Well Tai, we're here. Once we get inside, I'll introduce you to the family. Then, I'll show you to your room."

Lionel opened the door to his cottage and walked in. "I'm home dear!"

Tai walked in as well. As soon as he stepped in, he smelled the delicious odor of food. He looked as dinner was prepared on the table and an old lady walking over to Lionel.

"Oh, good. You're home. I was getting worried. I didn't expect you to be out this--" Elsa's attention was turned towards the doorway and the stranger who was standing there. "I didn't expect you to bring a guest over neither."

Lionel went over to where Tai was standing and decided to introduce him. "Elsa, this is Tai. He will be our guest tonight. He's a traveler and he needs a place to rest since he just arrived into town." Lionel said.

"Oh, well okay. It's nice to have you here Tai." Elsa said with a smile.

"Thank you my lady." Tai said, his cloak still covering his face.

Lionel looked around the room. "Where's Sora?"

"Oh, she's outside gathering some water." The old woman said.

'_Sora. Why does that name sound so familiar to me?_' Tai thought.

The door opened to reveal a young red-headed girl carrying a large bucket of water. She struggled getting in and practically almost dropped the bucket if Tai hadn't caught it.

"Oh, thank you. I thought I was going to dropped it. You don't know how heavy that--" Sora looked up to see a cloaked man before her. She couldn't see his face since he wore his hood over. "I didn't know we were having a guest over."

Tai caught sight of her face. '_It's the girl! The same girl I was supposed to kill! How is it that I find her here? Hmm, maybe this won't be so hard after all._' Tai chuckled to himself. He took the bucket of water in his hands.

"Would you like me to help you with this, Sora?" Tai asked.

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A/N: There's chapter 4. I hoped you liked it. Please don't forget to review.


	5. Unexpected Feelings

A/n: Hey guys! Sorry that I kept you waiting. Anyways, thanks again for all your reviews. Here's chapter 5.

**A War of Two Hearts**

Chapter Five: Unexpected Feelings

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Sora didn't move for a second. Instead she continued to stare at the stranger in front of her. There he stood, in old and ragged clothes, holding the heavy bucket of water that she had almost dropped. Even though she couldn't see the man's face, she knew very well that he was of young age just by the sound of his voice.

"Thank you." Sora finally said after breaking out of her own trance.

"Not a problem." Tai replied back. He then looked around. "So, where do you want me to put this?"

Elsa spoke. "Oh, you could just leave that in the dining room dear." She pointed to a small room on her right. Tai did what he was told and carried the bucket into the dining room.

As soon as Tai left, Lionel walked over to where Sora stood. "Well, the man sure has excellent manners. That's very generous of him to help. Oh, Sora. In case you're wondering, Tai will be our guest for the rest of the night."

"You mean he's going to spend the whole night here?" Sora asked.

"Yes. So once he returns, could you show him to the guest room?"

"Of course...but don't you think - " Sora was cut off the moment Tai came in.

"All done sir. If you don't mind, I'm a little exhausted from my journey and I wish to rest my eyes now."

"Ah Tai, don't worry. Sora will show you to your room." Lionel turned towards the young girl. "I'm sure you and Sora already met. And remember, if you need anything just ask."

Tai nodded. "Will do sir."

"Have a good night." Elsa said as she and her husband headed over to the dining room.

After the two left, Sora looked back at the man. "All right sir, follow me and I'll show you to your room." She walked towards the small hallway with Tai right behind her. Somehow, Sora didn't feel safe around him. After all, he is a stranger. She sighed. '_I don't know why I can't seem to trust this man. Hmph...maybe it's the giant cloak he's wearing._'

She stopped and opened the door that led to Tai's room. It was a small, dark room with nothing but a small dresser and a bed at the far corner. There weren't any windows, and the only light was the one coming from the hallway. After getting a glimpse, Tai entered the room and placed his bag on the floor.

Sora entered the room after him. "This will be your room for the night. I know it doesn't fit to your liking, but I'm sure it'll do. I'll just go grab some blankets and light a candle for you. I'll be right back."

Once she left the room, Tai walked over to the small bed and sat there alone with his thoughts. '_Damn. Acting all friendly and compassionate is killing me! But now's my chance to do this right. All I have to do is kill the girl and it's over.' _He snickered. '_She doesn't even know who I am...or why I am here in the first place.' _

Tai broke out of his evil thoughts when he saw Sora entering the room with a couple of blankets and a lit candle in hand. She headed over to the dresser, next to the bed, where she placed the candle and handed the blankets over to Tai.

"It'll be cold tonight, especially in here." She said before heading towards the door. She stopped and faced him when he spoke.

"Thank you. You've been a great help Sora."

"You're very welcome." She said looking over his old, ripped up clothing. "Um, would you like some new clothes sir? I don't know if you want to sleep in those."

"No, I'm fine with what I'm wearing and please...just call me Tai." He smiled.

"Oh...okay, Tai. Well, um...I hope you enjoy your stay here. Good night." Sora said closing his door.

"Good night, Sora." Tai said so softly. He didn't realize he actually said that out loud. '_Err, what am I doing? Am I falling for her again? No! I can't...not this time.' _He fell onto his bed, groaning. '_Maybe this isn't going to be easy as I thought._'

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Sora sat quietly at the dinner table, while Lionel and Elsa were having one of those long conversations that they always have. She stared at the bowl of soup in front of her. Sora didn't seem all that hungry. Her mind was so full. She kept thinking about that stranger. Elsa began to notice her behavior and started to worry.

"What's wrong Sora?" Sora looked up at Elsa. "Is there something bothering you?"

Sora knew that she should just tell them what she was feeling. "Yes, there is."

"What is it dear?" She asked.

"Um, it's about our guest." Sora said looking down at her soup.

"What about him?" Lionel asked.

"I was just thinking. Was it a good idea to actually invite over a complete stranger to stay for the night? I mean...is it safe?"

After a while of silence, Elsa spoke. "Well dear, it's always been our duty to help anyone in need. You were a complete stranger to us you know and we still took you in."

"I know. It's just that, it's odd for someone who wants to conceal himself. What if he's dangerous?" Sora had to admit she was a little afraid of this stranger. Ever since that terrible day, she couldn't seem to trust anyone anymore especially someone who looks suspicious.

"Look, Sora. Tai may be a little strange, but that doesn't mean he's dangerous. He's just a traveler in town. All he wants is a place to stay for the night." Lionel said.

"Yeah, but we still know nothing about him other than his name. For all we know, he could have a knife in his pocket."

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Tai sat on his bed holding a small, but deadly dagger in his hands. It was a small weapon, but it took so many lives. Tai remembered when he had received it as a gift from his uncle. He was still young then, but Tai knew he destined to kill. His uncle once told him '_You must train day and night, Tai...One day you will become unbeatable in combat._'

There was a knock at the door. Tai quickly hid the dagger under his pillow and pulled his hood over concealing his face yet again.

"Come in."

Sora opened the door and poked her head in. "Sorry, if I'm disturbing you, but I brought you something to eat." She held a platter filled with a piece of bread and a hot bowl of soup.

Tai immediately stood up. "Oh, no you're not disturbing me at all. Please come in."

After he said that, he quickly sat back down. He slid his hand beneathe the pillow and gripped the dagger tightly, waithing for his prey to approach. Sora slowly entered the room and walked over to where Tai was. She left the dish on top of the dressser and faced him.

"I thought you'd be hungry since you didn't eat dinner with us." She said in a sincere voice.

Tai couldn't help but gape at her. She was even more beautiful in the candle light. He released his grip on the weapon and stood up, wanting to be near her. They stood closely to each other waiting for the other to move. Tai hadn't realized that his breathing became faster. The girl was making him nervous. Even his legs began to move on their own. He walked a little closer to her, thankful that she didn't back away.

Sora was nervous as well. She didn't even know him and yet he seemed to captivate her. She came in here to tell him something important but forgot what to say. She decided to just blurt it out. "I wanted to apologize."

Tai looked at her in question. "Apologize for what?" He whispered.

"For my behavior towards you." She sighed deeply. "I've been treating you like a criminal this whole time and I had no right to. I'm sorry." She bowed her head in shame.

Tai lifted his eyebrows. "What made you think that I was a criminal?"

"I guess it's because I thought you were hiding something. Why don't you show your face?" Sora asked waiting for an answer.

Tai took in a deep breath. "Because."

"Why?" She asked, this time wanting a more appropriate answer.

"Because if I show you...you'll be afraid." He replied in a montone. Sora looked at him as if he was crazy. "You're just going to have to trust me."

"I can't seem to trust anymore." Sora looked down after she said that.

'_Great. Now I made her upset._' Tai thought.

Sora began to speak. "Um...if you need anything, I'll be next door." She turned towards the doorway and started to walk when Tai grabbed her arm. She looked at him.

"Look, I'm sorry I've been acting a little strange to you. How about we talk and get to know each other a little more? That way, you won't feel scared around me." Tai said pleadingly.

Sora gave in. "I guess we could do that."

"All right then." Tai walked over to the door and closed it. "So where do we begin?"

She sat at the far end of the bed. Tai sat by her as well. "I don't know."

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" Tai asked.

"What do you want to ask me?"

"Are you happy living here?"

"Uh..." Sora pondered on the question. "Yeah I'm happy living here. Lionel and Elsa have been wonderful people to me and I'm thankful for that. It's just that...I miss my family."

"So...what happened to your parents?" Tai asked already knowing the answer. Sora looked at him. "I just wanted to know."

"They were killed." She simply said. "Murdered."

It was silent between them until Tai decided to speak.

"Have you heard anything about what happened at the Ardin Kingdom lately?"

Sora immediately looked at him. "Why?" She asked curious of where the conversation will lead to.

"I'm a traveler and I happened to be there during the massacre. I was able to escape from there." Tai lied. "It was a horrible sight."

"Yeah, I saw it. I was there too. My family and I lived there." Sora said.

"So, you survived the whole thing?"

Sora nodded. "I never saw my parents or my brother again." She sniffled. "He was the best brother I could ever ask for. He was always there for me, protecting me from any danger. Now I know that he's been killed trying to save me from this horrible man. I...I really miss him."

Tai felt guilty for doing this to her. He didn't realized he had caused so much pain. He still remembered that day when he slaughtered every one of them, including her brother. He felt so many emotions running through him, emotions he never felt before. Why does he feel this?

"Will you ever forget all this?"

"I don't know. But I know that that insensitive, heartless general is to blame for it! He's a monster! He has no feelings whatsoever! He's the reason why everything is falling apart!" Sora shouted.

Tai felt an uprising in him. He immediately grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her against the wall. "You have no right to talk about Lord Kyo like that, ever!!" Sora cringed at his tone of voice and his tight grip.

As soon as he saw her pain-filled face, he instantly let her go. Tai began to deeply regret his actions. Before he knew it, she slapped him hard.

"You stay away from me. I was right about you. Maybe you're just like him." She mumbled before running out the door and shutting it.

Tai felt angry, but this time with himself. He grabbed the dagger and threw it at the wall, leaving it stuck there. He slowly sat back down and covered his face with his hands. '_What have I done? Is what she said true? Am I really becoming like my uncle?_'

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A/n: I was going to make the chapter longer but I didn't know where to end it. Tai's beginning to feel a lot of guilt here. Will he apologize? Will he tell her the truth about everything? I don't know, but you can find out! Thanks again.


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